Work with us
Do you want a job that makes a difference? At Action for Children, we work hard to make sure every child in the UK is safe and happy, with the chance to thrive.
You’ll be joining a family who cares about creating positive change. We embed equality and diversity into our ways of working. And we value our people - making sure our staff are able to develop and grow.
Search our careers site now to find a role that suits you.
We're always looking for talented people
Data from all our services across the UK shows that:
- 71% of children we work with improved their mental health.
- 77% of children and young people are more able to achieve their educational potential.
- 73% of children at risk of neglect have warmer and more supportive relationships with their parent/s or carer/s.
- 74% of children at risk of neglect, who we work with, experience an improvement in family life due to improved routines.
If you want to be involved in changing the lives of the children and young people either directly within one of our services or more broadly in one of our support services, then we want to hear from you.
Everyone at Action for Children helps to create more safe and happy childhood for young people. That’s true whatever area of the charity they work in. We’ve been a vital lifeline for vulnerable children for over 150 years. We’re a family. And we’d love for you to join us.
Take a look at our Employee benefits booklet.
Pay, pension and discounts
Money matters. And so does planning for the future. That’s why we offer:
- A competitive salary based on defined job roles and grades.
- A contribution scheme pension where we match up to a maximum 7% of employee contributions. Our pension offer also includes a death in service benefit.
- High street discounts via our fantastic discount portal and the Blue Light Card as well as the Partnership with Salary Finance for borrow and save products.
Time off
We know that people need time away from work, whether it’s for illness, caring commitments, or to rest and have fun.
That’s why we offer:
- Industry leading annual leave - 29 days (pro-rata) annual leave plus relevant public holidays in the nation you work. And after five years of continuous service, this increases to 34 days of leave per year
- The chance to buy up to five days of annual leave, and sell up to two days of annual leave each year
- Up to three days paid dependency leave for if you unexpectedly need to look after someone in your care
- Paid bereavement leave
- Flexible parental and adoption leave packages
- One day a year as paid leave to volunteer
IIn terms of their support for people who might be having issues outside of work, for example, with carers leave and compassionate leave, Action for Children is one of the best companies I’ve worked for
Mental health and wellbeing
We’ll do everything we can to support better mental health at work and contribute to the wellbeing of everyone who works here. Here’s just some of the ways we do that:
- A cycle to work scheme
- An employee assistance programme offering support from counselling sessions to financial and legal advice
- Mental Health First Aiders
- A variety of mental health focussed learning resources and opportunities to connect with colleagues
- Fun volunteering opportunities
- Flexible working – home, office/ service and hybrid working arrangements to help you achieve the best work life balance
The support from my line manager has been exceptional - better than I have ever experienced in previous jobs. I enjoy the various talks and webinars that have been on since I have been here too; I have always found them very interesting.
Alastair Gartenberg, Family Support Practitioner at West Lothian Outreach Housing Support.
Learning and development
We know you have big ambitions for your future. That’s why we'll help you get there by offering:
- Regular one-to-ones with your manager, as well as setting meaningful and achievable objectives
- Access to funded qualifications including Diplomas, Apprenticeships and SVQ's. Subject areas include: Health and Social Care; Early Years; Residential care; Business support; Finance and Leadership
- Development programmes for our Managers that are aligned to our Management Competency Framework (MCF). These include topics such as: effective communication; team building and coaching. Take a look at our MCF Framework summary
- Access to more than 100 learning resources to support your continuous professional and personal development
The teamwork is fantastic here, and there is real opportunity to develop and contribute. The team listen to one another, and the management is very supportive.
Housing Support Practitioner at East Lothian New Horizons Housing Service.
Diversity and Inclusion
Diversity and inclusion isn’t just a policy document for us. It’s woven into everything we do.
So, as well as upholding equality, valuing diversity, and working inclusively across our entire organisation:
- We’re a disability confident employer - we commit to interviewing applicants with a disability who meet the minimum criteria for the job and we will make reasonable adjustments wherever we can to support you
- We are committed to becoming an anti-racist organization- we have a clear plan on how we will achieve this
- We are proud to be a ‘Care Leaver Friendly Employer - Gold Partner. As part of our promise and commitment we offer a guaranteed interview and constructive feedback to applicants who identify as care experienced and who meet the minimum criteria for the role
- We have over 10 Staff Inclusion Networks, which include LGBTQ+, Race Equality, Disability, Gender Equality, working parents, Climate change and Faith based networks. Each network is dedicated to raising awareness, supporting colleagues and promoting the D&I strategy objectives
From day one I have been made to feel welcome. I feel valued and a part of the team. I enjoy the work that I do and the impact it has on the bigger picture of the support that the children and young people receive.
Helen Radford, Business Support Officer at Build Sound Minds, Derby & Derbyshire.
Staff stories
We are a remarkable team that works together to help improve the lives of children and young people across the UK.
Leanne and Wendy: our Young Person’s Practitioners are specially trained to support the mental health of children and young people. What do they get up to in a week?
Caryl: Service Coordinator Caryl Dyer takes you behind the scenes of our 'Star in Every Child' campaign, sharing the true stories behind what you see on the screen. Read Caryl's story.
Kate: our Operational Director Kate works within residential care. She shares her career journey and the opportunities she's had along the way. Read Kate's story.
Arefa: Meet Arefa, a Family Learning Worker at one of our children's centres in Yorkshire:
What I do makes a difference. What my colleagues do makes a difference and we work together to make that difference.
Susan Tate, Administrative Office at Jewsbury Moore Children's Centre.
We're always looking for talented people
Our Recruitment Service team is here to help and guide our applicants through the process.
Email us at [email protected] or call 01923 378608 for any related queries.
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